Beaver Falls considers banning dogs in business district

Sunday

Sep 9, 2012 at 12:01 AMSep 9, 2012 at 11:30 PM

By Jacob FlannickFor Calkins Media

Beaver Falls could ban dogs and other leashed pets from a stretch of Seventh Avenue as early as the end of the year in an effort to clear its commercial corridor of what some officials say are nuisances to businesses and passers-by.

The level of restriction sought by the city is undetermined. Still, the regulatory move is one of the first steps in a broad effort

by the city to renew a portion of its business district. The area marked by the city for

supervision, between 10th and 20th streets, is where officials hope eventually to

draw small businesses and other prospective investors.

Pit bulls, Rottweilers and other dogs are a common sight from the window in City Manager Steve Johnson’s office, which overlooks part of Seventh Avenue. Dogs “as big as ponies,” he said, sometimes are seen tied to parking meters outside businesses such as J’s News.

He recalled seeing an elderly resident, using a walking aid on the sidewalk, nearly falling over after being startled by the sight of a leashed dog.

“It’s hard enough (for the elderly) to maneuver down the street on (their) own,” he said. “But you get into a situation like that — that becomes kind of scary.”

Consternation has risen among some shopkeepers, too, whose complaints, which Johnson confirmed having received in recent years, call for city intervention to address safety and sanitary issues.

Regina Sariocheck, who’s worked for 36 years at Wolfe’s Shoes and Clothing on Seventh Avenue, attributed what she said is a visible rise in dogs to a succession of business closings that, over the years, have left several storefronts here unoccupied.

“When the city was a little more hustle and bustle,” she said, “you didn’t see as many people walking pets up here.”

Critics question whether controlling dogs in public is necessary in a city struggling to shed its reputation of drug-related crime and prostitution.

“What they need to do is patrol the street,” said Davis, of Patterson Township, a retiree who regularly helps out at the store.

The issue of dogs, he added, is not widespread. He said he sees more litter accumulate from people passing by the furniture store than waste from dogs.

Talk of restricting pets in public has surfaced in the last couple of years at council meetings. But the renewed proposal, announced last month by council, comes as the city is positioning itself to transform Seventh Avenue — more than 20 blocks peppered with vacant and condemned properties — into a centralized marketplace.

After receiving legal approval and funds to tear down a few buildings along the avenue, the city has said it will begin laying the groundwork of a new district between 10th and 20th streets.

A restriction on pets in that vicinity is viewed by Councilman John “Chuckie” Kirkland as a prerequisite for renewal.